The story/book was way very much better and had an exciting, excellent, surprise, unexpected, and astonishing turn for the ending. The title of the book is: FAREWELL TO THE MASTER by Harry Bates. I gave this movie the four star because I did not like nor appreciated the one that Mr. Reeves stared in. The one posted here is closer to normal or "real".

This is a movie about the day the earth stood still....

The screenplay ending was changed. The Robot was the "Policeman" and the humanoid his tool to examine the Earth society. Not acceptable to 1950's belief of Human supremacy over Artificial Intellegence. I was surprised when I read the Screenplay ending and now appreciate the movie even more.

Just watched this again after about 50yrs, throughly enoyed it - great message - need to get a copy to Putin.

"Klaatu barada nikto" is a phrase that originated in the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. The humanoid alien protagonist of the film, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), instructs Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) that if any harm befalls him, she must say the phrase to the robot Gort (Lockard Martin). In response, Gort does not do anything hostile, instead retrieving Klaatu's corpse and resurrecting him. The Robot Hall of Fame describes the phrase as "one of the most famous commands in science fiction" and Frederick S. Clarke of Cinefantastique called it "the most famous phrase ever spoken by an extraterrestrial." @gyd.guardian

I may be one of the last to do a review.
This is still my favorite SciFi / saucer film of all time,
Simply a classic, There is a lesson here, but are intelligent enough to see it.

"Le jour où la Terre s'arrêta". The French translation for the title of this film.
I must have been 7 or 8 years old when I saw this film at the army barracks of a French-speaking Caribbean country to see this absolute treasure of a film. My father was an army musician and it was probably the first full-featured film that I had ever seen in my young life.
The robot, alien and special effects stayed with me for days and were impossible to forget.
As a kid, I didn't understand the meaning of the film then until we emigrated to the U.S. when I saw the film again many years later on NBC Saturday night movies.

I love this Great Picture 🎬♥️🇺🇸

Watched it over and over the years,
very well done 1951,
I do so like the 2008 remake;
but my all time favorite,
is this one.

This motion picture stands the test of time and can be watched again and again! Some of the other reviewers comments are ok, so I will echo them here.

However as someone BORN in the 1950s, worked with nuclear power, built rockets and planes, lived through the coldest of wars, and has worked my entire life in the sciences, I feel I have a better perspective to offer you!

The visual effects, sound effects, musical score, and dialog are all superb! This is a black and white movie, so the limitations are based on the medium.

However everything from the spaceship landing, it's workings, and GORT's laser are all well done! The film even by today's standards, is virtually perfect.

ALL the performances are spot-on. Michael Rennie's Klaatu is confident but BLUNT! "Impatient with ignorant people." Though he is willing to learn to understand humanity before making any judgements pertaining to his mission.

His smallest facial expressions telegraphing entire paragraphs of what otherwise would be pretentious and sanctimonious dialogue. Patricia Neal is an everymother of the 1950s, who obviously develops a crush for KLAATU, by the end of the movie.

She is also brave, intelligent, and no push over. She even breaks off her engagement to Hugh Marlowe for being such a sap! Many women of this era were of similar charater!

The movie is, of course, at once an endorsement of every nation getting our act together and living in peace, NO mention is made for us to do so in order to save humanity! However a warning is issued that if we bring our petty differences and violence out beyond our Earth, then the Earth will be "reduced to a burned out cinder!"

There is NO mention of mutually assured destruction or the use of nuclear weapons upon the earth. It is quite clearly pointed out that ONE robot like GORT in ONE ship is capable of toasting the planet! These robots are peace keepers who turn aggression against the aggressor.

GORT(s) are not to be trifled with. If you start a fight with anyone, GORT will finish YOU! Their power cannot be revoked, so the Interstellar community lives in peace

It ends with a heartfelt plea for us to join the Alien races, work together, live in peace, and explore the stars! How we do it is left up to us. (This, we are still working on today!)

The film maintains total integrity from beginning to end with a proper balance of science fiction, science fact, human warmth, dread, Alien curiosity, humor, intrigue, murder, and resurrection.

Equally all of humanity is addressed, both invited and put on notice! It is one of George Lucas's and Steven Spielberg's favorite films of all time! As it is mine. I Am certain you will enjoy it too!

Pop some Organic popcorn, turn down the lights, and get ready to be thrilled!

God bless and be well!

A TRUTH IS TOLD.
CONCEPT IS TIMELESS
HOW DO YOU USE SUCH CONCEPTS?

This motion picture, though its visual effects are laughable and cheesy by today's standards, is virtually perfect. The performances are spot-on. Michael Rennie's Klaatu is understated and confident, his smallest facial expressions telegraphing entire paragraphs of what otherwise would be pretentious and sanctimonious dialogue. Patricia Neal is an everymother of the 1950s, but shows the intelligent budding character of subsequent generations of women.

The movie is, of course, at once an endorsement of, and a prayer for, Mutually Assured Destruction as the savior of our species. Its message is simple: since nothing else has ever worked to avert warfare, perhaps the certainty of extinction wrought by nuclear weapons is the one thing that might dissuade homosapienssapiens from the self-extinction that science has now made possible.

That this picture falls apart once it reaches Klaatu's warning and proffered solution, should not rule it out of appreciation. Given that more than 65 years have passed since this film was made, yet we are still trying to figure-out the same problem, its simplistic formula for world peace can be forgiven, and perhaps may even be seen as the best that we can do to control our evolutionary lust for violence.

for its era amasing movie gort the robot the stupidity off humans [and we still havn,t learnt any thing in 60 yrs since this movie]and in the movie the words clato nickto barata pop up in a rather silly gory horror movie guess which one ?